What Happened Next? - Dark Cupid!
by callmeakumatized
Summary: Fluttering ladybugs surreptitiously landing on the love poems meant for each of the saviors of Paris...was it really coincidence? This is part of the "What Happened Next?" Mondays series!


((So this is completely different from the other stuff I've written for this series, but once the idea was there, it wouldn't leave. It had to come out. Although I have to admit that following what Chloe did for the rest of Valentine's Day was a close second….))

What Happened Next? -Dark Cupid!

Bubbling pink light swirled around a small red form. As the bubbling grew, a small form walked out. She was lithe, light; there was no sound of footsteps as she walked, as if her feet weren't actually touching the ground. With one hand she ran a hand through her flaming red hair. With the other hand, she held a small mirror.

The alley was dark, a perfect setting. The figure moved silently to just outside the ring of light coming from the one lamp in the narrow passage. The skirts of her red dress with black spots swished around her knees, and she glanced down in curiosity, wondering what she would be wearing. It was a simple dress with cap sleeves, but one accessory made it stand out in a fanciful way: a large black bow tied together in the back. The female laced her fingers around the satiny ribbon with a smile. It seemed to be a design from a certain sketchbook she had looked in a thousand times before.

Dropping her hands, she peeked around each corner. With a slow blink of her large blue eyes she continued to scan the area. She decided it was save and the figure raised a hand, her red-tinged skin glowing faintly despite the lack of light. She flicked her wrist holding the mirror. The mirror flew to the ground with sudden ferocity; it shattered on impact. The effect was immediate, and the figure let slip a small smile as bright green light momentarily split the darkness behind her.

"Isn't it bad luck to break a mirror?" a voice drawled lazily from the direction where the green glow had shown. "Seven years, as a matter of fact. That is, if you're superstitious."

A small giggle escaped the red figure before she turned around to face the voice. She gazed into the darkness where a pair of glowing green eyes stared back at her. The dim green glow outlined a dark figure leaning languidly against the wall of one of the buildings encasing the alleyway. Something twitched in and out of the glow of the lamplight…something suspiciously like a tail.

"So are black cats I'm told…but how else was I supposed to get your attention?"

A good-humored snort escaped the black-haired figure as he crossed his arms over his chest, cat-like pupils dilating slightly as if trying to see the being across from him better. The red-glowing presence obliged, walking into the light fully. She leaned against the lamp post, hands hanging idly by her side.

"I'm glad you came, Plagg."

The usually cocky, gravelly voice that answered back had a markedly softened tone to it.

"I hate to say it, but I've missed you, Tikki."

Plagg moved slightly out of the shadows, coming to lean an arm on the lamp post where Tikki was. The position allowed him a direct gaze into her eyes. One of his cat ears shuddered. The movement was so incredibly _cat_ -like, it made Tikki smile. He was dressed like a modern teen, a black t-shirt over skinny jeans. The look was simple, but not unattractive. Tikki noticed how much the ensemble matched his Chosen's own daily garb.

They hadn't seen each other out of their small Kwami forms in, well, _centuries_. The extremely lithe form of her yin-yang counterpart, complete with a smug smile hiding a sharp-toothed grin, made her heart beat a little faster. She would never say as much to him, though…she had to have some sort of upper hand around him. No matter how much she built up her defenses, though, she couldn't help compromising a bit in this moment.

"I've missed you too, Plagg."

He smirked again and Tikki rolled her eyes.

"You've been a busy beetle today." The lazy apathetic tone was back, a humored tone playing under the spoken words. "The live ladybug was a nice touch. They definitely got the point across."

"I'm assuming it was your idea to have him confess through a love poem in the first place?"

He scoffed. "Love _letter_. You know I'm not a fan of poetry. Too many words, and too confusing to understand."

"You may not be a _fan_ of poetry…" Tikki started, running her fingers through her hair again. "But you definitely have a flair for it. After seeing years of Chat Noirs striving to win their fair maiden's hearts, I can always recognize when you've offered your…services."

Plagg shrugged, feigning nonchalance. Tikki leaned toward him a little closer.

"You know she didn't sign it, right?" Plagg almost whispered to her. Tikki couldn't help a hearty though sympathetic giggle here.

" _Sign_ it? She didn't even address it! It was just by luck I was just in time to slip it into the mailbox when the final deliveries were made." Plagg grinned wickedly at this.

"Plagg…" Tikki pressed on. She thought she already knew the answer to this next question, the ability to keep it suppressed had completely diminished. "Do you think we should tell them we know?"

Plagg's purring response both concerned Tikki and, somehow, made her almost flush redder than she already was.

"No _way_! It's morrrre fun watching them sufferrrr…."

She knew she shouldn't approve of what he said, and, most of all, that she shouldn't _show_ her approval of his words, but Tikki knew he was right. Not about making them suffer, of course, but letting them figure it out on their own. Although Plagg probably truly _did_ enjoy watching them chase each other in circles (she knew him too well to deny this), she also knew that _he_ knew better than to interfere. It was a seemingly uncharacteristically _nice_ thought, a thought buried in layers and layers and _layers_ of snark and indifference.

Tikki was lost in thought about their two Chosens, until a hand under her chin pulled her out of her stupor. The look was back in his eyes. She had, literally, seen it a million times. And she knew they didn't have much time left here together…so she didn't want to waste any more of it.

Plus, it was always a bonus when she could take _him_ by surprise.

Reaching up, Tikki grabbed the front of Plagg's shirt and pulled him down into her, hard. It took all of a moment to wipe the smirk off his face and she smiled inwardly before pulling away from him.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Plagg," Tikki whispered before pink, bubbling light flooded over her again and she zipped away in the Paris night.

It took Plagg a long moment before his lucid attitude returned. He sighed and leaned against the wall of the building again before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a wedge of Camembert (something he managed to stash away before he went out that night). He went to pop the chunk of cheese into his mouth but paused when he saw something crawling on his hand.

A small red ladybug.

He breathed out a laugh as he looked up into the night sky.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Tikki."


End file.
